Overview
Take a trip to Lilongwe on your Malawi Vacation
Lilongwe is the capital city of Malawi and the largest. Under British rule at the beginning of the 20th century, Lilongwe was chosen as the colonial administrative centre due to its easily navigable route to Lake Malawi. Lilongwe consists of two contrasting parts, the smart, modern Capital City and the streets and markets of the Old Town to be experienced on a Malawi vacation.
To the south of Lilongwe, the Old Town is almost indistinguishable from other small African towns. Here you will find a real mix of commercial, residential and industrial buildings. The numerous shops, markets, cafes and restaurants found here sell nearly everything imaginable.
Planned and built mainly in the late 60s and 70s, Lilongwe’s new town is the most modern and developed area of Malawi’s capital. Broad avenues are bordered by tall buildings, mainly banks, hotels, embassies and offices.
Although most visitors on a Malawi vacation use Lilongwe as a stop-over, there are pleasant ways to spend time here. One can explore the contrast between the old and the new towns including a visit to the walled market and the Asian quarter in the Old Town.
Between the two parts is the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, Malawi's only sanctuary for orphaned, injured and rescued wild animals and which plays an active role in conservation. The centre’s ultimate aim is to rehabilitate the animals for life back in the wild. It is not for game viewing but is worth a walk along the river and through the woodland on a Malawi safari. On the 6 kilometres/4 miles of trails where you can spot monkeys, birds and butterflies.
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Classic Malawi: Safaris, Highlands & Lake Malawi
Lilongwe and Liwonde National ParkA beautifully paced journey of wildlife encounters and lakeside relaxation .
11 days
From US$7,321/p.p.
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Classic Malawi: Safaris, Highlands & Lake Malawi
Lilongwe and Liwonde National ParkA beautifully paced journey of wildlife encounters and lakeside relaxation .
11 days
From US$7,321/p.p.
Request a Quote
Don't see the
perfect trip idea?
Request a custom quote.
Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
What do the experts say?
Plan a trip to Likoma Island, where it feels like time stands still. The beach is beautiful and there is simplicity to the way of life here. It is also unique because it is a Malawian island that is surrounded by Mozambique waters!
A food market in Lilongwe - a place to experien...
Welcome sign on the road to Lilongwe
A view of the Lilongwe city mall and a chance t...
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Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
LilongweMostly Sunny
34°C / 93°F
14mm / 0.6"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
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ExcellentBased on 5,336 ReviewsI want to thank Taha for his outstanding knowledge on Ghana. It was so good to work with him on the planning and the process to Ghana. Everything was amazing, from the hotels, tour guide Leslie, restaurants, and the food. I would definitely recommend Taha to anyone wanting to travel with a group.
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Lisa V HendersonLisa HendersonEarly 2026 I met Alice Teramoto at the Phoenix travel show. I asked her about a dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Thankfully I kept her card. About 7 months later I started planning the trip myself. I was overwhelmed after I got my airline tickets to and from Australia and organized a dive boat. Thankfully I found her card. I texted her with my dates and within two days she had a complete agenda to me. It was amazing. She had transport to and from airports, car rental, tours everywhere I was going. I was gone for 6 weeks and I was so happy with everything she planned. I haven't used a travel agent in the past but believe me I would us Goway Travel and Alice again. barbara coy
Everything was looked after and no stress for usJean WilloughbyVanessa from Goway Travel did a fantastic job pulling together a really comprehensive itinerary for our trip to Egypt. Her advice about "must see" sites was extremely helpful and she also provided great tips based on her own experience travelling to Egypt. Excellent planning by Vanessa meant we were able to thoroughly enjoy our trip. OlgaI want to Thank Vanessa Lloyd for putting together the most perfect itinerary for my husband and my dream trip to Santorini, Greece. Every detail was perfectly executed. From the pick ups, to tours and most certainly our hotel location, it was truly a dream!! We were so happy and completely blown away, that we couldn't help but shared our experience with several folks we met during our trip... and I just bet they will be using Goway Travel for any future plans of theirs, just like us. Africa, here we come....Tanya KashExceptional Customer Service, Accountability, and Leadership — Thank You, Goway Travel!
As a Canadian travel advisor with Discover Joy Travel, affiliated with TravelOnly, I want to recognize three exceptional individuals at Goway Travel: Jaime Vargas-Hernandez (Destination Specialist – North America and Latin America), Sean Hebert (Vice President, The Americas), and Jason Stratford (Business Development Manager).
I recently booked a cross-Canada vacation for my clients, and while the itinerary offered many wonderful experiences, there were several unexpected challenges along the way, particularly involving transportation, transfers, and certain aspects of the overall travel experience.
As a travel advisor, one of the most difficult situations is hearing that your clients are disappointed, especially when you've worked hard to create a memorable and seamless vacation for them.
What truly impressed me was how Goway responded when things didn't go as planned.
From the beginning, Jaime was responsive, professional, and genuinely committed to addressing our concerns. He listened carefully, communicated with the appropriate teams, and made sure our clients' feedback was taken seriously.
Jason Stratford was equally supportive, demonstrating the value of having a Business Development Manager who genuinely advocates for travel advisors and their clients.
I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to Sean Hebert, Vice President of The Americas, for his outstanding leadership and personal attention to our situation. His involvement demonstrated that customer satisfaction and accountability are priorities at Goway, even at the executive level.
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In fact, despite the difficulties they experienced, my clients were so impressed with how Goway handled their concerns that they expressed interest in booking another international vacation through them, with another couple potentially joining!
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Exceptional customer service isn't about everything going perfectly. It's about how a company responds when things go wrong.
As a travel advisor, I value supplier relationships built on trust, transparency, accountability, and genuine care for travellers. Knowing that I have a team willing to listen, take responsibility, and work toward a resolution gives me greater confidence when recommending Goway to my clients.
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Goway is fortunate to have individuals like you representing the company.
I look forward to continuing our partnership and creating many more memorable travel experiences for our clients.
Highly recommended — not because everything was perfect, but because Goway demonstrated what genuine accountability, strong leadership, and exceptional customer service should look like.
— Evangeline Fiset
Discover Joy Travel | TravelOnly
Fort St. John, British Columbia, CanadaEvangeline de Torres - FisetThank you Vanessa, always a pleasure dealing with you and knowing you'll give us the perfect customized trip. Everything was spot on with excellent guides, drivers.Terry F.Every detail was managed and executed beyond our expectations and everything flowed from one destination to the nextClinton G HughesThis is a review for my Goway travel guide in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. PHẠM HỮU THIỆN (TONY) was a very kind and knowledgeable guide during our 5 day stay in the city. Friendly, likeable and funny, Very accommodating to our needs during our visit. He and his driver were always early for every excursion as well as the final day for our airport departure. He gave us wonderful recommendations for sights and restaurants for our personal time. I highly recommend Mr. Pham (Tony) for your stay in the Ho Chi Minh area.George C.Brooke Theron has booked 3 trips for us, France and Tunisia in 2025 and we have just returned from a 2 week trip from China.
The entire trip was flawless, from the research to the booking Brooke is always soo helpful in whole process.
Brooke always works with us to answer any questions and make sure any request we have can be added.
Our tour guides James, Helen, Felicity and Keira and drivers were all top notch with lots of information on each stop and sent us onto our next stop with no problems.
The hotels, trains and tours were all excellent. We couldn't have asked for more
I look forward to working with Brooke and Goway tours on our next vacation.Maddie
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